Carnevale Di Felicità
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Carnevale Di Felicità, where we strive to bring smiles to your faces and laughter to your hearts. Allow us to show you the greatest acts, like you've never seen before. Please be careful, as some of us carnies hide some sorrow behind our smiles, and be conscious of the words you use. Some take it lightly, but others are not amused by such folly.
1. Troubled

**Author note: I do not own The Last Story.**

**Okay...originally I was going to get another chapter of 'Blood Warrior' up, but then this idea got in my head, nagging me worse than usual to start writing it out. Basically, this fic is a Carnival AU, so there will be carnie versions of all of the characters. This should be interesting-like the 'Last Story-Anthology,' it's basically a sort of collection of oneshots that will eventually turn into a multi-chapter story. Unlike previous carnival AU fics I've done, though, this one should be a bit more lighthearted.**

**Warning: Carnival AU, Carnie!versions of the Last Story characters, various pairings, violence**

**Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks!**

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_**Carnevale Di Felicità**_

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_**1. Troubled**_

Summary: Callista the Acrobat, unable to sleep, needs answers. The Illusionists, Zepha and Zesha, unfortunately only seem to be in the mood to tease her about possible romantic interests.

Performers: Acrobat Callista, Illusionist Zesha, and Illusionist Zepha

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The Acrobat let out a sigh as she wandered the carnival grounds, looking up at the dark night sky. Pushing silvery-white locks out of her face, she glanced at the dimming lanterns that hung from the tents. Tonight was the night before the carnival opened tomorrow, and she knew she needed to get some rest.

She couldn't sleep, though, not even when she was watching the stars with Zael. Not tonight. Something troubled her, but she wasn't sure _what, _exactly. She needed answers-that was apparent-and so she decided to find help.

Ringmaster Asthar was surely busy with finishing things up for tomorrow-she would not disturb him. Others, specifically Ariela, Zoran and Jirall, would probably be asleep already. Mirania was someone to run to for such problems, but Callista didn't really know if she was still awake-it was hard to tell sometimes, with the Fortuneteller. Zael, asleep in his tent, probably didn't want to be woken up-even a Clown needed his rest.

Dagran and Therius were probably still readying their acts for tomorrow. She doubted they would want to be disturbed right now. Yurick was in the process of putting out the fiery lanterns, and she didn't want to spook him accidentally as he finished his work-it would be bad if it ended in setting someone's tent on fire unintentionally. Syrenne was probably drunk and Lowell was probably dragging her back to her tent so she could get some rest, so they were out of the question.

That really only left two people to talk to, and she knew very well that they liked being up late most of the time, doing whatever they did as the Illusionists. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the nearby black-and-white-striped tent, pushing the tent flap aside as she entered.

One of the Illusionists, a red aura emanating from his body, stood with his back to her.

"Zesha?" Callista asked, after a moment of silence. Zesha turned his head to the side, making eye contact with her. "Do you mind if I talk with you for a few moments? I know it's late, but...I need some help."

Zesha merely gave a wry grin._ "Look, brother."_ He murmured softly._ "Something wicked this way comes."_

_"Open locks, whoever knocks."_ Callista couldn't help but let out a quick gasp as she felt a cold breath linger at the back of her neck, and she turned to see Zepha, standing as an aura of blue flickered around his figure. _"Speak."_

_"Demand..." _Zesha drawled from behind the Acrobat, before her vision blurred slightly. As soon as it cleared, she saw only one of them, but both auras of red and blue flickered together as both Gurak brothers spoke.

_"We'll answer."_

The young acrobat let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Must you both speak in riddles and rhyme all the time?" She asked quietly, resting her hands on her hips. "And I'm serious. I need some advice, and I feel that you're the only ones that can probably help me right now."

_Or not, _Callista thought afterwards. She knew that both Zesha and Zepha loved to misguide others. She just hoped tonight was a time when they actually didn't mind guiding people for once.

_"Help?" _Zesha questioned, splitting from his brother as he took a step to the side and ran a hand through his shoulder-length, pale-blond hair. _"Help? Mm, what kind of help? Something troubling you?"_

"Yes." Callista shivered a bit, wrapping her arms around herself. Was Zesha and Zepha's tent always cold, or was it just a trick of the mind? She could never be sure with those two around.

_"What could trouble the dear Acrobat so?" _Zepha murmured quietly, glancing downwards at his right hand. _"Nervousness?"_

_"Anxiety." _Zesha added as a possibility.

_"The cold, cold night?"_

Both brothers went silent, contemplating the issue, before Zesha spoke up again, the tone of voice sounding much more teasing, more taunting. _"Ah, perhaps it is...?"_

They chorused the next word in harmony.

_"Love?"_

Callista frowned as both of them broke into a small laughing fit, and she folded her arms together as she responded to their answer. She didn't like being played with like this-she liked to make sure to make that clear-and now was no exception. Add in the fact that she was suffering from a lack of sleep, and that only increased her irritation towards them at the moment.

"If that is what's troubling me, what is it about love that troubles me so?" She challenged, glaring at the two. "It could be any sort of love issue, you know, so try to choose one that would make most sense with me. Unless..." She dared to raise an eyebrow. "Are you both secretly attracted to me?"

Zepha just glared back at her. _"You?" _He hissed, circling her. _"We love no human being in existence." _Zesha then coughed out something incoherent, and Zepha turned to face him. _"What was that, brother? Hm? Speak up, if you have the courage."_

The red-aura twin coughed again, before speaking up again. _"We love none except for the Fortuneteller." _He muttered quietly. _"Or at least, I do."_

Zepha let out a sigh, shaking his head. _"Do you not see the cruelty of humans towards our kind?" _He snapped, glaring at Zesha. _"They dared to mock us, show scorn towards the blooming, sickly, orchids that linger on our skin."_

_"If it wasn't for humans," _Zesha argued, _"We would have no place to call 'home.' Is that not true as well?"_

Zepha went silent, and Callista couldn't help but look away for a moment, in shame of what she had caused. Zepha and Zesha had good reasons for hating her kind-when the terrible disease struck the Gurak, it killed off so many. Zesha and Zepha were the only known survivors, as far as she knew. It was thoughtful of Ringmaster Asthar, to let them join the carnival, and she knew that despite him wanting to help them, situations like this corresponding with such actions could act as a double sword. It was stupid of her to bring up anything to them involving humans. She shouldn't have done that.

_"Now," _Zepha spoke up after a moment, choosing to go back to the previous subject instead of lingering further on the current one, _"Perhaps the question that troubles you, Acrobat, is that you're wondering who your heart is captured by. Could it be the Gamemaster Jirall, who will forever try to capture your affection and always fail?"_

Zesha let out a laugh. _"Not so, brother, not so. Perhaps it's the womanizing Icebreather, but Lowell is far too attached to the drunkard Strongwoman." _He responded, folding his arms together.

Zepha shrugged slightly, before responding. _"Why not the Strongman Dagran? He's a fine one-as charismatic and determined in work as can be, though, he holds a darkness that no one can hold a light to, not even his closest friends. It is not likely for the dear Callista to fall for him-no, not him..."_

_"Next is the fiery Yurick," _Zesha mused, _"With all the flames he can muster, he has a coldness to contrast his abilities. Does he hold any affection for anything? If you were to fall for him, it would be surely difficult to charm him."_

Callista watched the two quietly, not saying a word. She didn't really understand why they were trying to evaluate her with all the men in the carnival (save for the Ringmaster, though, because no way they would do that), but she figured they just liked thinking things like this out loud without a care in the world. They didn't really like to solve problems for people-they just liked to supply them with seemingly useless information.

_"There are more valid options." _Zepha spoke as he glanced at his right hand again, the festering skin blooming into yellow orchids. _"Why not the Contortionist Therius, the perfectionist of perfectionists? So strong, though oblivious to love. Nothing could sway him, except the kindness and caring of a certain Acrobat perhaps..."_

_"Zoran is hardly worth talking about-you know he's into the Ticket Keeper Ariela." _Zesha responded, giving a wry grin. A few candles floated into the air, lighting themselves as he continued to speak. _"Last but not least is the Clown, Zael. Behind the makeup hides a tragic story, but he smiles enough so that no one can ever see it during the day. Such caring, such tenderness of someone like him...perhaps that has captured Callista's heart?"_

"I-" Before Callista could respond, Zesha let out a low yawn, shaking his head and letting it bow a little.

_"I tire of this." _He muttered quietly, rubbing sleepy eyes with both hands. _"To bed, brother. To bed, to bed, to bed..." _He turned, and suddenly vanished.

"I suppose I should take my leave." Callista _knew _that she wasn't going to get any help now. As far as she knew, she should sleep on the issue. She would address it later, when she had more time and when she was far more alert.

_"Go ahead." _Zepha murmured quietly, smiling a little. _"Whenever you need us, call on us. We will come when you call, otherwise not at all." _

Callista just shook her head, turning and leaving the tent. She needed sleep. They needed sleep. Everyone needed to sleep.

Besides, if she didn't sleep, she might get infected with the same disease that struck down many of the Gurak. That was a rumour, and no one knew if it was true or false. She didn't want to risk her life, though, to see whether such a rumour was actually true or false. That seemed like a foolish thing to do, and she did not like to engage in any foolish, risky activity like that.

She fell asleep as soon as she entered her tent and let her head hit the pillows on her bed.

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**Author note: 'Carnevale Di Felicità' means 'carnival of happiness' in Italian, according to Google Translate.**

**Okay, the way I'm going to explain the carnie roles for each of the characters is that I'm going to do it by order of appearance. For example, since Callista, Zesha and Zepha were the main people in this chapter, I'm going to explain their roles first. The rest will come later.**

**Callista-Acrobat-I honestly couldn't think of anything else, and that was the first thing that struck my mind when I was thinking of a carnie role for her, hence why she's in that position. I think she'd have the gracefulness to take on the role of Acrobat.**

**Zesha and Zepha-Illusionists-Who can't see these guys as Illusionists? I imagine that they would be the type to play tricks when they can, to go misguide some and guide others through troubling times. They're going to be speaking a lot together, and they'll probably make some Shakespearean references or say actual lines, so I don't own those lines. **

**Please note: The first two to three chapters of this fic will take place all at approximately the same time, the night before the carnival opens to visitors. Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen.**


	2. Sleepytime Tea

**_2. Sleepytime Tea_**

Summary: Takes place just after the first act, 'Troubled.' Dagran, worn out from practice, decides to go see Mirania before he gets some sleep. Meanwhile, Yurick gets his rest disturbed when a certain Contortionist walks into his tent by accident.

Performers: Strongman Dagran, Fortuneteller Mirania, Firebreather Yurick and Contortionist Therius

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The Strongman let out a groan as he treaded through the carnival grounds, massaging his right shoulder with one hand. His shoulder was sore-perhaps he had pulled a muscle there. In fact, every part of him felt quite sore. It was possible that he had overworked himself in the practice tent earlier, he figured-and now he wanted to do nothing but to lie down and rest, so he would be ready for tomorrow.

Glancing around him, he knew that everyone would be settling down by now. It was late tonight, and there was no doubt that Syrenne was drinking the last of the booze, Lowell would be end up carrying her back to her tent, Ariela would be asleep in her tent, Yurick would be extinguishing the last of the lanterns hanging from the tents, Zesha and Zepha would be off doing...well, whatever they did, and Zael was probably getting himself lovesick over thoughts of Callista (the acrobat was probably getting some beauty rest at the moment). Jirall was probably busy cleaning up the game booths to get ready for the customers flocking into the carnival the next morning. Ringmaster Asthar was no doubt mulling over plans and double-checking everything to make sure that everyone was ready for tomorrow. Perhaps Zoran was making sure the animals were alright-the Tamer knew animals well, and Dagran figured that it was always good to check on them every now and then, just in case something bad happened. Therius was probably still practicing in the practice tent or maybe in his own tent-Dagran knew that the contortionist always liked to keep all the tricks he did in check so that he would be ready when it came to performing in front of the carnival visitors.

What about Mirania? He glanced at the Fortuneteller's tent nearby. Perhaps she was unoccupied with anything at the moment. It would be nice to talk to her (Dagran found that she was definitely someone one could run to for emotional counseling), and maybe she could help fix up his shoulder, too. Without a second thought, he entered her tent after a few more footsteps.

The smell of something sweet, like roses, greeted his senses. The raven-haired Fortuneteller was sitting on a cushion with her legs crossed as she sipped a cup of tea, but her eyes made contact with his as soon as he entered the tent. Mirania didn't look too tired, though she was dressed in a plain, black nightgown already and was barefoot. On the table in front of her there were a few empty teacups, an assortment of cookies and mini cupcakes resting on a tray. A plate in front of her was filled with cookies and crumbs, while the plate opposite her was empty.

Mirania put down her teacup, before she spoke. "A cup of tea?" She offered. He nodded, sitting down on the cushion opposite her as she poured some tea for him. "What brings you here so late, Dagran?"

The Strongman let out a sigh after he took a sip of the tea, savouring the taste of roses. "I practiced a bit late today." He admitted quietly, still massaging his shoulder with one hand. "I think I pulled a muscle..."

"I can help with that." She stood, and walked around until she she crouched onto a knee behind him. He let go of his shoulder and let his hand fall to his side as he felt the healing magic seep into his sore muscles. It didn't take long until the shoulder was completely better, free of pain.

"Thanks." He spoke after a moment of silence. Mirania nodded, before returning to her cushion. Picking up a cookie, she bit into it as he changed the subject. "I can't believe that we're opening tomorrow at noon already…"

"I know, it seems like it was only yesterday that Ringmaster Asthar finished assembling all of us for the carnival." The Fortuneteller murmured in agreement, taking another bite into her cookie before continuing. "It feels like only yesterday since the first day I became a carnie…"

Dagran nodded in agreement. Time didn't seem to pass by so quickly at times, but it had. Mirania had been one of the newer carnies out of them, and Dagran had to be the one to show her the clockwork of the carnival. If there was one thing Dagran did not doubt about Mirania, it was the fact that she could always be someone that anyone could trust. If there was another thing, it was probably that she seemed to be one of the more 'sane' people in the carnival, and Dagran was glad about it. He had enough of Jirall pining over Callista, Zael daydreaming about Callista, Callista (probably, Dagran guessed) daydreaming of Zael, Lowell constantly flirting with anyone, Syrenne drinking whenever she could, Zesha and Zepha going and speaking in rhyming riddles, Yurick barely saying a word, and Therius being so constantly focused on his work. The only relatively 'normal' people seemed to be Ringmaster Asthar, Zoran, Ariela and Mirania.

Thank goodness there was at least a few generally 'normal' people around. Without them, Dagran doubted that this carnival would have been able to be put together at all. Without the Ringmaster or Mirania around, Zoran and Dagran would have been arguing constantly over anything, and someone needed to act as an authority for Jirall, otherwise he would just keep trying to give Callista unwanted attention. Zael would be fighting with Jirall over Callista, too, and that wasn't fun to watch either. Besides, Ariela and Asthar were the only ones that could keep a cap on how much alcohol Syrenne could take-if they weren't around, surely she could possibly die of alcohol poisoning early, even with Lowell watching over her.

Before Dagran could sum up his thoughts, Mirania's voice interrupted them.

"Dagran?"

He blinked, looking at her. Mirania looked a bit concerned. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly, before sipping her tea.

"Um, yeah," He managed, nodding once. "Sorry-my mind kind of drifted off just now."

"It's alright. All of us are tired-our minds need rest." She reassured him.

"Yeah…" Dagran rubbed his sleepy eyes with one hand. "I should probably go get some sleep. Thanks for healing me and for the snacks."

Mirania nodded once, sipping her tea again before speaking. "It's no problem, Dagran. Goodnight."

"...Goodnight."

Heaving a sigh, he slipped out of the tent and into the cold air of the carnival grounds, intent on getting to his tent as quickly as he could, burying himself in the warm blankets and pillows that resided there, summing up his previous thoughts as he headed to the tent.

Without the 'normal' people, this carnival probably wouldn't have existed in the first place.

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Yurick woke up to the sound of footsteps.

The Firebreather lay still in bed, unsure if he was hearing anything correctly. One could never be sure of what was going on when half-awake. Okay, maybe someone like Dagran or Zoran could, but only if they were paying close attention.

He heard another few footsteps, before the sound of something being knocked over. There was the sound of a baritone voice, swearing aloud once, before there was silence.

Alright, Yurick decided, that's it. He needed to tell whoever the hell it was to leave him alone and _let him sleep in peace._

Summoning a fireball, he sent it flying forwards the intruder, in the hope of hitting him.

In the quick flash of the flames, he saw a certain Contortionist let out a horrified scream, ducking out of the way and dodging the flames immediately. Yurick couldn't help but scream either-but not because of the Contortionist nearly screaming in his ear, but because it hit the fabric wall of the tent, lighting it on fire immediately.

"Damn it!" Therius screamed, pulling himself off the floor as he stared at the flickering flames, horrified and irritated all at once. "What was that for!?"

"This is all your bloody fault, you idiot!" Yurick snapped back, throwing the covers off himself as he reached for an extinguisher.

"It's not my fault that you set your _own tent_ on fire, dammit!" Therius retorted as he backed away slightly, mainly out of fear that Yurick would bash him to death with said extinguisher, but partially so he could get a little further away from the fire that was currently devouring the fabric tent wall.

"If you hadn't come in _here_ while_ I_ was trying to get some bloody rest, _maybe_ this wouldn't have happened!"

"I'm_ sorry,_ then, that I can't find my way through the dark sometimes! I was practicing my act until about ten minutes ago, and then Ringmaster Asthar shooed me out of the practice tent because he said I needed sleep!"

The two carnies both let out a deep breath as the hissing of foam smothered the fire to death. There was a medium-sized hole in the tent fabric, but Yurick figured he would just patch it up tomorrow, if he had enough time to. Setting one's tent on fire the day before visitors arrive isn't exactly the greatest thing in the world, but it was something that could be solved, which was a good thing.

Therius let out a sigh, shaking his head a little. "My apologies, Yurick." He mutered quietly, looking downwards. "I didn't mean-"

Yurick shook his head. "It's fine." He muttered in response. "Just be a bit more careful if you're going to end up sleeping in here again, alright? You really have to stop bumping into things-you know I'm a light sleeper!"

Therius sleeping in Yurick's tent was not uncommon. Being one of the ones that stayed up late to perfect their acts, the Contortionist would often be stumbling around the carnival grounds late at night, trying to find his tent so he could sleep. Ever since the first time he ended up in Yurick's tent by accident, the nightly visits became more frequent to a few times a week-and good thing, too, because the Contortionist still suffered from memories of the past, always brought up in his unconsciousness. Yurick had to be there for him most of the time-if he hadn't been there, surely Therius would have suffered from insomnia already.

"Who said I was going to sleep in here?"

Of course, just because Therius slept in Yurick's tent often did not mean he completely didn't mind it. It could get awkward for the both of them, especially when sharing a bed together. Yurick knew it well, and the same went for the other. At least Therius would get sleep, though, and at least it wasn't like Yurick had to go blast fireballs at Therius for entering his tent all the time.

The younger carnie let out a groan. "If you don't sleep here, the next thing I know is that you're going to walk into one of the girls' tents by accident, and that won't be pretty, especially if it's Syrenne's tent..."

That had actually happened once-walking into Syrenne's tent while she was still in a drunken, sleepy state that is. The result was a bloody nose, a black eye, and several bruises. It took Zael several layers of makeup to hide Therius' wounds, and no one wanted that to happen again. _Ever. _

The white-haired Contortionist's face lit up with a faint red. "Alright, fine-I'll sleep here!" He muttered, starting to undo the ribbon that tied his hair back into the long braid. Yurick never understood how Therius could still do his contortionist acts with the braid-it never made sense how he was able to do that, but he figured that was a mystery he would never solve.

As Therius joined him underneath the covers, the two found themselves to be unbelievably close to each other-literally. In order to fit properly on the bed and make sure there was enough space, both had to sleep on their sides, and coincidentally they were facing each other as well. Yurick couldn't help but feel puny in comparison to Therius-though Therius was not exactly a giant, he wasn't short, either.

"Er-" Yurick started, but he stopped himself. Pausing, he looked up at the older carnie's face in the darkness, unreadable because of the lack of lighting. "Do you always wear spandex?"

"...Pretty much." Therius muttered in response, his warm breath tickling Yurick's face. "Contortionists usually do, because it's the most flexible sort of clothing for them."

"Oh." The younger carnie paused, before speaking again "...Don't you ever get cold wearing almost nothing but spandex-"

"Didn't you say just now that you wanted to get some sleep?" Therius let out a quite yawn, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

"Right." The younger one agreed. He let out a sigh, closing his one blue eye. "Goodnight, Therius."

There was no response, except for the sound of deep breathing. Yurick let out another sigh, and let himself succumb to slumber. Tomorrow was a big day, and sleep was very much needed if they were going to get through the hustle and bustle of the visitors in the carnival, after all.

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**Author note: I'm incredibly amazed by the amount of reviews, the favourite and alert already received-and in such little time, too! Thanks so much for reviewing, everyone-it really helped me get this chapter written quite quickly.**

**Mirania-Fortuneteller-Well...I was going to have her as an Illusionist, but it kind of got thrown out the window once I decided to have Zesha and Zepha as the Illusionists. A Fortuneteller seemed to fit her, because she didn't seem like the type to be a Strongwoman or Acrobat. Being a Ticket Keeper probably would be a bit too ordinary for her, though, so that's why she's got the Fortuneteller role.**

**Dagran-Strongman-Originally, I was going to have Lowell as the Strongman, but strength always seemed like something Dagran was pretty strong at, and he didn't have any special powers in most of the game unlike the others, so I handed that role to him. **

**Yurick-Firebreather-I gave this role to him mainly because of his abilities as a fire mage in the game. No more explanation needed.**

**Therius-Contortionist-This was a really hard one to decide for Therius-I was so tempted to have HIM as an aerialist or an acrobat, but I settled on Contortionist because he's not as...free-flowing as Zael or the others, if that makes sense. He has a ton of restraint that he puts on himself as a knight, a lot of discipline-and that's why I put him as a Contortionist because some restraint is needed to pull of certain tricks, I'm sure...**

**Thanks for reading so far! :)**


	3. Breakfast Activities

_3. Breakfast Activities_

Summary: Morning comes around, and some carnies just don't want to get up. Food helps, though-as well as some warnings from the Ringmaster...

Performers: Strongwoman Syrenne, Icebreather Lowell, Ticket Keeper Ariela, Tamer Zoran, Clown Zael, Ringmaster Asthar, Gamemaster Jirall

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"Where_ is_ everybody?"

The Ticket Keeper let out a sigh as she pushed a few stray locks of her red hair back. "I don't know, Zoran." She responded as she poured some porridge into a few bowls. "Maybe they all decided to sleep in."

_"Sleep in!?"_ The Tamer did not look pleased at this idea. In fact, he looked completely irritated. "I swear, if _Pretty Boy_ and everyone else doesn't get here this minute, I'll have more than just one person to snap at for being late for breakfast! There's no way we could finish all this food ourselves, and it'll get cold!"

Zael didn't say a thing-the Clown merely observed the scene as he ate the porridge. He never really liked speaking much in the morning (he usually strained his voice when talking with the visitors, anyway), and he doubted that trying to tell Zoran to stop complaining about so many things wasn't going to help the situation.

"Well, then," The Icebreather's voice cooly replied as he rounded the corner of a tent and strode towards them, "At least you have Syrenne and I to help, hm?"

The Icebreather hadn't bothered to be completely clothed yet-he was still wearing no shirt, just like during practice. Despite being the one that controlled the ice, Lowell never seemed to mind the cold at all, unlike the Firebreather Yurick who absolutely _hated _the cold. Despite this, though, they were able to perform together at times-figure out new tricks for each other and wow the crowd in the process. It was almost like those two together were an endless experiment, with varying results that followed.

Syrenne, accompanying the Icebreather, did not look as pleased as him. In fact, she looked like she'd just dodged the devil. Her hair was disheveled, there were obvious dark circles around her eyes, and she was practically dragging herself towards them with both feet, shuffling slowly. "Need...meat..." She groaned quietly, letting herself sit on a nearby crate. "Need...booze..."

"You're getting the meat, but not the booze." Ariela told her firmly as she finished cooking some sausages. Zael grinned a bit at this, tempted to laugh, but decided against it-laughing at a hungover Syrenne was basically digging a grave for himself, after all.

"She said it." Zoran muttered as he handed a bowl of oatmeal to Syrenne. "Don't complain about it-you used up almost ALL of the booze we had in stock last night! Do you have any idea how long it'll take us to restock?!"

"Do we really _need_ that filthy swill to drink?" A groan pierced the air, and everyone turned to see Gamemaster Jirall saunter over, arms crossed. "Really," He continued with a wave of his hand, "There has to be something better than the cheap stuff..."

"Shut up, Jirall-" Zoran started, crossing his arms, "At some of us are sensible with our money! We can't buy all the fancy stuff all the time-we aren't stupid enough to do that."

"Are you saying I'm that _stupid, _you _mongrel!?" _Jirall looked far from pleased at this remark, a snarl taking over his face. "How dare you insult me!" He took out a sword, pointing it at the Tamer as he continued speaking. "You're going to regret it..."

"Bring it on!" Zoran snapped, taking out a sword (he was glad he decided to carry it with him to breakfast this morning-just in case stupid people like Jirall decided to go and piss him off). "I'm not afraid of the likes of you!"

Before Ariela could yell at them to stop, or for Zael to leap in between the two and punch them both in the face, or for Lowell to freeze them both on the spot, or for Syrenne to go and pick them up by the shirt collars and give them her best glare, the Ringmaster intervened.

"Stay your blades."

Both Zoran and Jiral glared at each other, before putting away the swords and turning towards Ringmaster Asthar. As far as everyone knew, despite the jolly, optimistic man the Ringmaster could be-well, he had his scary, stern side also. Everyone knew very well _not _to go against his orders.

"As much as I understand at times that you both have your...disagreements," The Ringmaster continued, crossing his arms, "I do not want you trying to kill each other in front of the visitors to the carnival. That would not be a pretty sight, and it would be especially terrible for business. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ringmaster." The other two muttered quietly, sitting down on some nearby crates. Ariela quickly passed them both some plates filled with fried eggs and sausages as the Ringmaster continued to speak.

"As for you, Strongwoman," He continued, glancing at Syrenne. "A night before the visitors come to the carnival is _not_ a night for drinking the majority of the alcohol in stock for ourselves. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ringmaster..." Syrenne uttered quietly, holding her head with both hands before Lowell passed a mug of coffee to her.

"Ringmaster Asthar, do you know why everyone else is late for breakfast?" Ariela asked as she handed the Ringmaster a cup of coffee. "It's taking them longer than usual to get here..."

The Ringmaster let out a sigh, shaking his head as he accepted the coffee. "Unfortunately, a vast majority of us were up a bit too late last night, especially Zesha, Zepha, Mirania, Dagran, Callista, and even Therius and Yurick, whose tent caught on fire as well, apparently. Therius and Yurick are patching up Yurick's tent, and I sent everyone else back to sleep. I do not want anyone looking sleep-deprived when the visitors arrive at noon-it won't look good for any of us, either."

Everyone else exchanged glances. If everyone else was asleep, that meant two things. One, they had to finish all of this breakfast or let it get cold for the others to eat, because they were way too lazy to try to reheat it.

The other thing was that it was definitely going to take longer than usual to set up for the carnival. _That_ was not good...

* * *

**Author note: Now, for more carnie profile things! (More detailed carnie profiles will be put up in a later chapter.) **

**Zael-Clown-I had to do it. Absolutely had to, with the fact that he could use prank bananas with that crossbow of his and that he always tried to help out others. He was one of the more optimistic out of the mercenaries in the game, in my opinion, so I thought he would want to make people smile. **

**Ariela-Ticket Keeper-Well, she seemed to be the type to be welcoming to all (I mean, she practically runs the entire tavern-okay, her dad Kentis owns it, but still-), so I thought **

**Zoran-Tamer-Well, he must be good with animals-how else would he have gotten all those Reptids locked up and ready to release into Lazulis City?**

**Jirall-Gamemaster-Well, someone has to be in charge of those game booths. And someone has to be tricky and elusive enough to act charming enough so that people will WANT to play at those expensive game booths...right?**

**Syrenne-Strongwoman-Well...yeah. Strongwoman-Syrenne is a very strong woman, as we all know-and surely more terrifying when drunk. I felt like something of strength would work with her, hence the position of Strongwoman.**

**Lowell-Icebreather-basically, an Icebreather is like a Firebreather, except they do it with ice. And Lowell can control ice powers, so...**

**General Asthar-Ringmaster-He was the amazing father figure in the Last Story-and a good boss, too. Because of this, I knew he'd make the perfect Ringmaster. XD Yay, Asthar!**

**So, that's basically all of the reasons why I had so-and-so as a certain carnie. Next chapter, the visitors enter the carnival! What shall they encounter? We'll see a few charming acts-from the views of Catoleya, Braso and Leolio! Thanks for reading-I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


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